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The differences between communications officers and community relations directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a communications officer and a community relations director. Additionally, a community relations director has an average salary of $96,788, which is higher than the $40,161 average annual salary of a communications officer.
The top three skills for a communications officer include affordable housing, non-emergency telephone calls and customer service. The most important skills for a community relations director are community relations, community events, and memory care.
| Communications Officer | Community Relations Director | |
| Yearly salary | $40,161 | $96,788 |
| Hourly rate | $19.31 | $46.53 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,260 | 33,569 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A communications officer is responsible for maintaining the brand image of an organization through monitoring marketing campaigns and public relations techniques. Communications officers handle press releases, social media management, media outreach, reviewing digital contents, and disseminating public communications within the company's premises and appropriate audience. They often coordinate with the senior management to develop strategic procedures to improve brand awareness, attracting potential partnerships that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability. A communications officer must have excellent leadership skills to monitor the performance of the communications staff and ensure maximum productivity.
A community relations director is an individual who is responsible for managing positive relationships with community members, nonprofit organizations, and fellow employees surrounding an organization. Community relations directors must plan, organize, and manage activities to help the organization achieve its public relations goal. They need to interface with vital community groups so that they can ensure the organization is producing effective results. Community relations managers must also assist in preparing a variety of publicity materials such as speeches and media content.
Communications officers and community relations directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Officer | Community Relations Director | |
| Average salary | $40,161 | $96,788 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $62,000 | Between $61,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Zoho |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a communications officer and a community relations director in terms of educational background:
| Communications Officer | Community Relations Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications officers' and community relations directors' demographics:
| Communications Officer | Community Relations Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |